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What Will You Do When The Lights Go Out? The Inevitable Failure Of The US Grid
Oilprice.com ^ | 15-08-2016 | Juli

Posted on 08/15/2016 9:04:51 AM PDT by bananaman22

Delta Airlines recently experienced what it called a power outage in its home base of Atlanta, Georgia, causing all the company’s computers to go offline—all of them. This seemingly minor hiccup managed to singlehandedly ground all Delta planes for six hours, stranding passengers for even longer, as Delta scrambled to reshuffle passengers after the Monday debacle.

Where Delta blamed its catastrophic systems-wide computer failure vaguely on a loss of power, Georgia Power, their power provider, placed the ball squarely in Delta’s court, saying that “other Georgia Power customers were not affected”, and that they had staff on site to assist Delta.

Whether it was a true power outage, or an outage unique to Delta is fairly insignificant. The incident was a single company without power for six measly hours, yet it wreaked much havoc. Which brings to mind (or at least it should) what happens when the lights really go out—everywhere? And just how dependent is the U.S. on single-source power?

(Excerpt) Read more at oilprice.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; Politics
KEYWORDS: electricity; emp; grid; investment; jihadinamerica; outage; power; powergrid; preparedness
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To: bananaman22; All
Want to see what is going to happen when America is a victim of an EMP strike?

Read this book:

 photo image_zpsekh3sr1s.jpeg

41 posted on 08/15/2016 9:41:04 AM PDT by Cobra64 (Common sense isn't common any more.)
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To: bgill

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/rt


42 posted on 08/15/2016 9:42:41 AM PDT by Paladin2 (auto spelchk? BWAhaha2haaa.....I aint't likely fixin' nuttin'. Blame it on the Bossa Nova...)
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To: FreedomPoster

A lo t do.

A lot asked for decent battery backup systems and were told it was not a budget priority from the business and accounting types. And to just make do with what was already on hand.

Been there. You want to stereotype? We can stereotype.


43 posted on 08/15/2016 9:44:19 AM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: RayChuang88
Power flows on the grid are most often managed on a regional basis. The "thousands of miles" power transmission is somewhat of an urban legend. No doubt with considerable work a long-distance intertie could be established, but line losses would make it less desirable than local or regional grid management.

That is for bulk power transmissions. Data, basically bits, can be switched and routed without a problem over thousands of miles. But don't conflate that with power transmission.

Likewise, most central generating stations are located near their end users now. That's not to say modular MSRs would not be a good idea. They probably would be, but their use, at least initially, would be as generating assets on a regional grid. The current fleet of LWRs are often sited close to major use centers, IPEC for NYC, and Palo Verde for Phoenix and other Southwestern cities, for example.

44 posted on 08/15/2016 9:45:46 AM PDT by chimera
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To: MeganC

Natural gas? For awhile. But power is needed to keep pressure in the gas lines. Evetually that will not work. Gas gas for cars, that runs out quick and needs treatments to remain fresh.


45 posted on 08/15/2016 9:46:18 AM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: bananaman22

I don’t believe this cover story for a minute, and suspect the real cause is being withheld from the public. China comes to mind. American Airlines was attacked last summer and the entire industry took full notice. Somebody hit the bulls-eye with Delta Air Lines last week.


46 posted on 08/15/2016 9:47:14 AM PDT by Always A Marine
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To: Blood of Tyrants

I would bet hed have blackout shades and such. But the problem with hearing the generator running,...smelling the gas fumes....in the immediate aftermath you cant run that stuff unless no one can find or get to you.


47 posted on 08/15/2016 9:49:11 AM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: Secret Agent Man

We don’t have natural gas. Our house is two miles from the road and the closest natural gas is about 40 miles away.

We have diesel generators because the equipment on the ranch is all diesel and so is our storage tank.


48 posted on 08/15/2016 9:49:29 AM PDT by MeganC (JE SUIS CHARLES MARTEL!!!)
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To: bananaman22

It was a computer malfunction not a power outage!


49 posted on 08/15/2016 9:50:00 AM PDT by Harpotoo
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To: bananaman22
Which brings to mind (or at least it should) what happens when the lights really go out—everywhere?

Suggested reading:

One Second After. and One Year After.

50 posted on 08/15/2016 9:51:27 AM PDT by Oatka (Beware of an old man in a profession where men usually die young.)
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To: Secret Agent Man

That’s entirely believable as a root cause, too.


51 posted on 08/15/2016 9:51:29 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: yarddog

Another thing I remember about Opal was the major stores like Wal-Mart were cleared out fairly quickly, at least for perishables and things like batteries, generators etc.

Fortunately these stores had trucks come almost immediately and replenish except for some reason generators took a week or more to resupply. Some began price gouging.


52 posted on 08/15/2016 9:52:11 AM PDT by yarddog (Romans 8:38-39, For I am persuaded.)
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To: bananaman22
What Will You Do When The Lights Go Out?

Tell Dagny Taggart to not look back.

53 posted on 08/15/2016 9:52:30 AM PDT by Vision Thing (You know the depths of my heart, and You love me the same...)
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To: Bringbackthedraft

Yup, within a day or three, the stores will be empty and since refrigeration and our JIT (just in time) distribution systems rely on power, new stock won’t be able to be delivered. Within a few weeks, millions will die in and around the cities especially. The survivors will start leaving the cities and head for the suburbs and then rural areas, raping, pillaging and plundering along the way.

We just got grid after living without it for 5 years. We have a tiny solar set up. 300 watts with 4 golf cart batteries that ran LED lighting and a small 12vdc chest freezer/fridge.

A few years back, we had a heat wave with temps over 100 for most of the summer, two months, and it was miserable but we survived. Outdoors under a roof, canopy, carport etc is the best place to be, unless you have a root cellar. Saw some people doing that even though they had electric. Old wood house with windows a/c units that weren’t keeping up.


54 posted on 08/15/2016 9:57:09 AM PDT by Pollard (TRUMP 2016)
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To: Blueflag

I heard the same as you, generator 1 caught fire and burned down gen 2 as well.


55 posted on 08/15/2016 10:00:20 AM PDT by Ghost of SVR4 (So many are so hopelessly dependent on the government that they will fight to protect it.)
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To: JAKraig
..3300 amps of battery storage for 20 hours which means I can use the battery for a week and a half before I worry about it.

39KW?

56 posted on 08/15/2016 10:08:57 AM PDT by Karl Spooner
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To: bananaman22

Do most of my work in the day.


57 posted on 08/15/2016 10:10:42 AM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (Proud Infidel, Gun Nut, Religious Fanatic and Freedom Fiend)
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To: FreedomPoster

“Business continuity should be looked at as an insurance expense. Delta failed to pay their premiums, and paid the price.”

100% correctamundo!


58 posted on 08/15/2016 10:12:46 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (Common Sense, Trump and Pence. More of the same, Clinton and Kaine.)
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To: bananaman22

We are going with off grid alternative system with battery bank for our mountain place.


59 posted on 08/15/2016 10:13:59 AM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: MeganC

Cool. Hows the noise levels with them?


60 posted on 08/15/2016 10:16:06 AM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
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